Benjamin Franklin once wrote, “in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” While that statement was written more than two hundred twenty years ago, it is still true today. Each of us will, one day, die. When we die, many of us, depending on our cultural background, religious beliefs or finances, will be displayed and/or buried in a casket.
Caskets are often the most costly component of funeral expenses, and yet caskets are nearly always only used once. Whether made of wood, metal or other material, the purchase of a one-time-use casket can cause financial hardship for those left with the task of making funeral arrangements for a deceased loved one, or can deplete the estate of a decedent that has made their own funeral arrangements in advance.
At the same time, consumers are becoming more aware of the wastefulness of one-time-use goods, and are beginning to demand that the goods they buy be made of recycled materials or at least be recyclable or reusable. While the vast majority of caskets are made out of recyclable or reusable materials, wood and/or metal, almost none of them are ever recycled or reused.
Numerous caskets have attempted to provide a low cost reusable alternative to the traditional one-time-use casket. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,810,282 to Doggett discloses a reusable casket with an open top, and a removable insert sized to slidably fit within the reusable casket and adapted to be slidably removed from the top of the reusable casket. The insert has a detachable lid that fits over the top of the insert after the insert has been removed from the casket. The insert lid includes vent holes at one end, and the insert includes an exhaust hole at the other end.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,684,467 to Walker discloses a reusable coffin having a casket and a vault. The casket has a headwall, a footwall, a left and a right sidewall, a first and a second lid and a bottom. The right sidewall and first and second lids have hinges. The headwall and the footwall have a latching means to secure the right sidewall. The vault fits closely within the casket to form a reusable coffin. The vault has a headwall, a footwall, a left and a right sidewall, a first and a second lid with hinges, and a bottom.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,350,278 to Davis, et. al., discloses a rental casket system including a casket with a recessed side panel for ease of viewing. The casket includes a removable end piece which in one embodiment is located within grooves formed in the side panels of the casket. The grooves widen near the upper portion of the side panels and are partially covered by the top panel. The rental casket system may further include a tray assembly that may be used as part of a cremation casket. The tray assembly has short side walls and an inner assembly that, prevents contact with a deceased when handholds in the tray assembly are used to move the tray assembly. The tray assembly includes side walls that are moveably attached to end walls. Lids are provided with the tray.